We're talking about walking in the woods. We're not talking about hero treks along the crest of the Continental Divide. When it's time to do that, you'll be writing your own book. But right now, we want to look over some gear that'll make your walk in the woods a pleasure that you won't outgrow.
Let's consider this a moment. When I talk about gear you won't outgrow, I'm not talking about size. I'm talking about quality. The old axiom that you buy cheap gear three or four times is never so true as it is with outdoor gear. Get a cheap pack if you wish. Just be prepared for it to never work well, to never be comfortable and to require replacement after only limited use. This isn't an argument for buying the top-of-the-line gear, with bells and whistles. The time may come when the bells and whistles are useful to you; for now, it's doubtful that you need a loop for your ice ax and straps for carrying crampons. What you're shopping for should fit well, look good, and hold up in use.
What you're shopping for specifically are a few items that will make your life easier in the outback, and something in which to carry them. That"something" is commonly called a daybag, a day pack, or a small rucksack. And — surprise! — we're not going to talk about the pack first. Why? Because until you have a pretty good idea of what's going into the pack, the size and shape of the pack itself is absolutely meaningless.
You could probably make up a list of what you need for a day's walk in the woods in spring, summer or fall without my help if you thought about it for a minute, but I'll help you.
Water
This is the one indispensable item in any wilderness traveler's kit, for reasons that are both obvious and far too extensive to go into here. As you can't depend on finding drinkable water anywhere close to human habitation and only rarely out in the boondocks, you either go prepared to treat water to make it drinkable, or you carry water with you.
For a short scoot in the woods, the simple approach is to carry water with you. So, you'll need something in which to carry it. Rummage through your outfitter's shelves until you find a wide-mouthed plastic bottle that will hold about a liter. I prefer water bottles made of Nalgene, because Nalgene doesn't pick up flavors as readily as some other plastics. Why a wide-mouth bottle rather than a narrow-mouthed canteen? Simple. It's easier to fill, and it's easier to mix stuff like lemonade in a wide-mouth bottle. Get one for every family member who's walking with you.
Food
If you aren't troubled with metabolic problems like diabetes or hypoglycemia, going a day without food will not hurt you a bit. However, this isn't the time to either go on a diet or start the practice of fasting.
It also isn't the time to go on a Sugar Junky binge, either. The mild exercise you get from walking will release of stored glycogens from your liver trigger a low-level after you've gone through the sugars in your bloodstream, so you don't need five pounds of chocolate bars.
Here's what I take. Cheese (usually a sharp cheddar), pepperoni or beef stick, a few Triscuits, a hard roll, and something sweet that won't melt. There is chocolate that won't melt. It's called M 1pma1 M's. Mix these gaudy little dudes with some dry roast peanuts in a ziploc bag, and you'll be good to go, as my old point guard was fond of saying.
Do yourself a favor. Buy a small plastic box that's sealable for the cheese and the pepperoni. You won't regret it-unless you really like your pack to smell of garlic.
Your favorite outdoor outfitter will have an assortment of freeze-dried and dehydrated food packets you might consider preparing. Sometimes the meals are extravagant but for the most part they are very easy to prepare. Again it is important to consult a helpful salesperson to get a little experienced advice.
The benefit in taking along freeze-dried and dehydrated fare is the weight difference of these products as opposed to that of groceries. With the water extracted from the food, weight load is reduced to more than fifty percent of the original weight. This is most important when cross country trekking, however, you might wish to make it easy on your back with the lightweight stuff.
Raingear
Chances are that it rains where you live. Chances are that it will rain on you sometime when you're moseying through the north forty. Most rational beings won't set out for a walk m the woods when the fall gales hit the upper Great Lakes, or the rains hit the Georgia coastal plains, but if you wait to walk for that perfect day when there is no threat of rain at all, you won't do much walking. You're not made of sugar; you won't melt.
But you'll think you're made of sugar if your raingear doesn't work well. Now,"work well" is one of those wonderful weasel phrases beloved of outdoor writers who either choose not to go into detail or don't spend enough time outside to know what's happening. Because — what works well today for me may not work well for you today, even if you're walking beside me.
Why? A lot of reasons. I may be expending a bit less energy, and perspiring less. I may be more comfortable on a hot, humid day, and because I'm fussing less, I'm less prone to being bothered by a little condensation. I may be walking with a thin polypropylene undershirt under my rain jacket, and you may have a heavy cotton/ poly blend t-shirt on, which traps moisture and makes you feel damp. I may have taken the time to ventilate trapped warm air from inside the jacket by loosening my collar, and I may have chosen to wear a hat rather than pull up the hood on my jacket, which effectively insulates the nape of my neck and my throat-two areas which are critical in heat regulation. In simpler terms, it's a combination of good raingear and good sense that keeps you comfortable. Good raingear alone makes the job easier, but it's no guarantee of comfort.
Raingear can be divided into two designs, the poncho and the commonly-used rain jacket/rain pants sets. The poncho is big, a pain the neck in a breeze, relatively easy to ventilate, and if you're looking for double-duty from your gear, downright hazardous in a canoe or on a bicycle. Rain jackets and rain pants are rather more versatile, require more care in use to maintain adequate ventilation, are more comfortable in a wind, and can, indeed, serve as wind garments. If I was limiting my outings to generally warm weather, and didn't want to spend a lot of money on raingear, I'd opt for a poncho. If I wanted more versatility, I'd get lightweight coated nylon rain pants and rain jacket. I'd make sure the hood was comfortable; I'd try to keep pockets to a minimum; I'd like to see armpit zippers for extra ventilation; I'd prefer that the jacket didn't have elastic in the wrists, because elasticized wrists are difficult to ventilate; I'd prefer a drawcord waist and a fly front on the pants (ventilation again), and I'd like short zippers at the ankles so I could pull the pants on and off without taking my boots off.
Would I look at one of the waterproof/breathable fabrics like GoreTex? Probably not, unless I was planning to do a lot of cool and cold-weather walking for long periods of time.
Raingear Comparison
Nylon
 |
|  | Advantage: Relatively inexpensive; practical for warm weather walks |
| Disadvantage: Not breathable; traps perspiration inside saturating clothing; inexpensive might mean cheap; impractical for cold weather walks |
|
|
Goretex
|
| | Advantage: Breathable; allows perspiration to permeate through outer shell, clothes remain relatively dry; usually excellent construction; perfect for cool 1pma1 cold weather |
| Disadvantage: Relatively expensive; impractical for warm weather walks |
|
|
Plastic/Poly
|
| | Advantage:Very inexpensive |
| Disadvantage: Traps perspiration; not breathable; induces increased perspiration; practically disposable |
|
|
Warmwear
For most woods-walking, you can scrounge through your dresser and your closet. The summer foray rarely requires more than a light sweater held in reserve, and a pair of loose, comfortable shorts or pants. Please note that"loose and comfortable" does NOT include jeans or cut-off jeans, which are usually cut wrong for walking, and which soak up water like a sponge.
If you like things that are techy — and that just plain work! — pick up a lightweight polypropylene underwear top and a lightweight fiberpile jacket or pullover of the type that's usually found with the paddling clothing. The combination of undershirt and pile is cozy in even quite cool weather, yet breathable enough to be a pleasant addition in the morning or at twilight on even a warm day. Hint: the polypro undershirt should have long sleeves; it's a bit of sun protection with essentially zero warmth when worn by itself. How did I find that out? On a two-week canoe trip (with a lot of ground exploration) in the Florida Everglades. Winter underwear in the subtropics!
Compass
You'll want one, even if you might not need one right away. Besides, a compass is even more fun than a good diamond whetstone as a time-waster. And who knows? You never can tell when you'll need a sharp knife or the esoteric map-and-compass skills you honed during lunch.
Get a compass with a transparent base plate, the kind you can lay on a map and use for real navigation. Forget the little round jobs with wiggly (induction-damped) needles, as they're less accurate and a pain to use. Ten bucks or so will get you a very reliable instrument that's capable of greater accuracy than you can use.
Return to 
Top
